Folding chair



J. M. WIEGEL FOLDING CHAIR Feb. 22, 1955 6 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed Oct. 9,1953 iiiiiliiiilillliihilliilll JOHN MAso/v W/EGEL fiM ATTORNEY Feb. 22,1955 J. M. WIEGEL' 2,702,587

FOLDING CHAIR Filed Oct. 9, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JOHN MASONW/EGEL ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1955 J. M. WIEGEL 2,702,587

FOLDING CHAIR Filed Oct. 9, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

JOHN MASON W/EGEL BY W 3 82 ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1955 J. M. WlEGEL FOLDINGCHAIR 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed 001;. 9, 1953 INVENTOR.

JOHN MASO W/E 65 L mm 21.

ATTORNEY United States Patent FOLDING CHAIR John Mason Wiegel, Oakland,Calif.

Application October 9, 1953, Serial No. 385,174

21 Claims. (Cl. 155-139) This invention relates to an improved foldingchair and particularly relates to a folding chair that is very light inweight but is quite strong, and which takes up a very small amount ofspace when folded.

Many long-standing problems have been solved by this invention. Forexample, chairs made of lightweight material, such as aluminum, were notheretofore strong enough to withstand continued use unless they were soreinforced with steel or wood that they lost any weight advantage thatmight have been gained by using the lightweight material. The presentinvention solves that problem by a novel structural arrangement thatmakes it possible to produce a strong chair from lightweight sheetaluminum and aluminum tubing.

Another disadvantage of folding chairs heretofore in use was thatsuitably strong chairs were too bulky when folded. Most prior-art chairswere no shorter when folded than when unfolded, and some of them werelonger, because their legs then projected beyond the back frame. In thepresent invention, all the component parts of the folded chair liewithin the area of its back frame, and the over-all length of the chaircontracts when the chair is folded, so that it may then be about 26"long, 13% wide, and less than 1" thick. Approximately one dozen of thesechairs may be stored in an ordinary legal-size file drawer.

Prior-art folding chairs were not well adapted to their intendedpurposes. For example, they had no place to put ones hat or purse whenthey were used as auditorium chairs, and no place to put refreshmentswhen used as card-table chairs or television chairs at a party. Thepresent invention solves this problem by providing a relatively largeshelf or platform below the chair seat and spaced away from it. At thesame time, this shelf braces the chair and increases its stability andstrength. The shelf can be made from lightweight sheet aluminum so thatit adds nothing to the storage space consumed by the chair and only anegligible amount to the weight.

Another problem with folding chairs has been to provide sufiicientflexibility along with the required stability. When a chair was toorigid, it was easily broken by normal use and was broken very soon whensubjected to such abnormal use as children or nervous people give it.The present invention provides the necessary flexibility withoutdetracting from the stability, due to novel structural relations betweenthe component parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a positive self-lockingmeans for holding the seat in its open position until it is unlocked bymanually releasing the look when folding the chair.

Another feature of the invention is a novel structure for the ends ofthe legs which engage the floor. This structure eliminates the necessityfor separate glides, which must be installed in other chairs in order toprevent scratching the floors. In the present invention, the aluminumtubing which forms the legs is so constructed and shaped that the legsrest flat upon the floor with the ends serving as integral gliding feet.

Another problem not solved by the prior art was how to lock together anynumber of folded chairs so that they could be stored more easily andcarried from place to place more conveniently. The present invention hassolved this problem, first, by providing a novel chair structure so thateach chair folds flat and so that successive chairs can be nested oneupon another in a minimum amount of space and, second, by providingnovel locking means by which the chairs can be attached to each other"ice in any number and will stay attached until the locking means isunlatched. The combination between the chairs and the locking meansenables the latching and unlatching operation to be done rapidly andeasily.

The chair which has solved all these problems has a back and framemember with two central cut-out portions separated by a generallyhorizontal cross member. The bottom. and side edges of the frame areprovided with forwardly extending flanges and, through the bottom flangethere are a pair of openings, one on each side of the frame, to receivethe rear legs. The seat is pivotally attached adjacent its rear edge tothe cross member, preferably by piano hinges, and also to the framesides. A shelf or platform is similarly pivoted adjacent the lower edgeof the frame so that it is below and spaced from the seat. The four legsare lengths of aluminum tubing, all pivotally secured along the sameaxis to the forward edge of the seat. A piano hinge connects the seatwith a bracket secured between the front legs, and another such hingejoins the front legs to the forward edge of the shelf. The rear legsextend back and down from the forward edge of the chair seat through theopenings in the bottom flange of the frame member, the openings therebyserving as guides. Releasable latch members may be provided to lockthese rear legs in open position, and another set of latch members maybe provided on the back frame for locking the chairs together in series.

Other features of the invention and other objects and advantages willappear from the following description of a preferred embodiment given inaccordance with 35 U. S. C. 112 but without intending to limit the scopeof the invention to the details herein described.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a chair embodying the principles ofthe present invention. The chair is shown in its opened position.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the chair of Fig. 1, also in itsopen position.

Fig. 3 is a view in rear elevation of the chair of Figs. 1 and 2, alsoin its open position.

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the same chair, also in its openposition.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the same chair in its closed orfolded position.

Fig. 6 is a view in front elevation of the chair in its folded position.

Fig. 7 is a view in rear elevation of the chair in its folded position.

Fig. 8 is a view in side elevation of the chair in its folded position.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the chair in its folded position.

Fig. 10 is an exploded isometric view of the major components of thechair.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged view in side elevation and in section, takenalong the line 1111 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 12 is a view in section taken along the line 1212 in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a view in section taken along the line 13-13 in Fig. 11.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, partly in section,showing the pivot arrangement of the legs with the seat.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, partly in section,showing where the rear leg extends through the back frame, and thelatching mechanism thereat.

Fig. 16 is a view in section taken along the line 1616 in Fig. 2, withthe seat cover and upholstery pad removed.

Fig. 17 is a view in section taken along the line 17--17 in Fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a view in section taken along the line 18-18 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 19 is a view in section taken along the line 19-19 in Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a fragmentary view in section taken along the line 2020 inFig. 18.

Fig. 21 is a view in section taken along the line 21-21 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 22 is a fragmentary view in section showing a portion of the sideedges of the back frames of two chairs joined together by a novel sidebracket arrangement.

Fig. 23 is a view in perspective of the side bracket for joining chairstogether.

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary view in section showing a portion of the lowermargins of the back frames of the chairs latched together.

Fig. 25 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, partly in section, ofthe lower end of one of the front legs of the chair.

Fig. 26 is a bottom plan view of the leg portion of Fig. 25.

Fig. 27 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, partly in section, ofthe lower end of one of the rear legs of the chair.

Fig. 28 is a bottom plan view of the leg portion of Fig. 27.

The chair of this invention may be assembled from a relatively smallnumber of components. As shown in Figs. 1 and 10, its principalcomponents are a back frame member 30, a seat 31, a shelf or platform32, two front legs 33 and 34, two rear legs 35 and 36, a pair of braceplates 37 and 38, and a latch assembly 39. These members when assembledwith the hinges, pivot pins, staples, screws and so on, form thecompleted chair. Of these members, the legs 33, 34, 35, and 36 arepreferably made from aluminum tubing while the members 30, 31, 32, 37and 38 are preferably made principally from sheet aluminum and theirparts may be stamped out by dies and formed to the desired shapes.

The back frame 30 The back frame member 30 is generally rectangular inshape and has a pair of relatively large openings 40 and 41 stamped outfrom it, one above the other and separated by a central cross member 42.At the upper end of the frame member and bridging across it is thecontoured chair back 43, which may be recessed at 44 and provided withupholstery or padding 45 (Figs. 11 and 12) and with a non-metallic(preferably fabric or plastic) cover 46, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 12.Preferably, the back 43 is hollow and has a reinforcing rear member 47,thereby giving lightness, strength, and additional body thickness at thesame time. The chair back structure and its upholstery constitute thesubject matter of a separate patent application, Serial No. 386,937,filed October 19, 1953.

The side margins 50 and 51 of the frame 30 and the lower margin 52 arepreferably provided with forwardly extending side flanges 53, 54, and 55whose outer edges 56 are preferably curled over these flanges forgreater strength and in order to provide round edges as shown in Figs.4, 7, l0, and 11. The side margins 50 and 51 are each preferablystrengthened by integral ribs 57, 58 that are shaped to provide recessesin which the legs 33, 34, 35, and 36 nest (Figs. 7, 10, and 18). Thelower flange 55 is provided with generally round openings 60 and 61adjacent each end. Through these openings 60, 61 the rear legs 35, 36extend snugly, as will be explained later.

The upper edge 62 of the central member 42 (Fig. 10) and the upper edge63 of the lower margin 52 are provided with cut-out portions 64 andcurled-over edges 65 that define a central passage 66. This structureconstitutes half of a piano hinge to which the seat 31 and platform 32respectively are connected, in a manner explained below. The centralportion 42 may be ribbed at 67 for greater strength.

The seat 31 The forward edge 73 of the seat 31 is provided with splayedcorners 74, tabs 75 being bent over at this point and secured to thelower surface 76 of the seat 31 (Fig. 18) by staples 77. This givesadded strength and rounded edges. The remainder of the forward edge 73has a shallow rounded downturned flange 78, and deeper flanges 80, 81are provided at the sides, these side flanges 80, 81 terminating ininturned flanges 82, 83.

Corners 84 are cut out from each side at the rear of the seat 31, and arear portion 85 of the seat extends on past the back 30 when the seat isopened (Figs. 16 and 18), to give added comfort to the sitter. A curledrear flange 86 includes elongated tabs 87 at each end that provideholding means for a rod 88 fitting in a seam 89 in the seat cover 72, sothat the cover 72 is held taut.

Openings 90 through the side flanges 80, 81 match openings 91 throughthe side flanges 53, 54 of the frame 30, and a short rivet 92 or othertype of pivot pin is pro. vided. The seat 31 and frame 30 are alsojoined by a pintle 93 directly in line with the pin 92. For this purposea hinge member 94, stapled to the seat 31, is provided with curled overedges 95 that fit in the openings 64 and with openings 96 thataccommodate the projecting portions 65 of the frame. Passages 97 are inline with the passages 66 and with the openings 90 and 91. When thepintle 93 is inserted in the passages 97 and 66, the piano hinge 98 iscomplete, and the seat 31 is pivotally attached to the frame 30.

The piano hinge 98 gives great strength to the connection between theseat 31 and the frame 30 and also helps protect fingers from gettingcaught between them, as they might with other types of hinges.

One half 100 of another piano hinge 101 is stapled near the forward edge73 of the seat 31, being provided with recesses 102 and folded-overedges 103. In line with the passages 104 are openings 105 in a pair ofbrackets 106, concealed in the side flanges 80, 81.

The platform or shelf 32 The platform or shelf 32 is spaced below thechair seat 31. Its rear edge is formed into half of a piano hinge 111,which is completed by the half hinge 63 on the upper edge of the lowerframe margin 52, a pintle 112 being passed through the passages throughthe curled over edges. The forward edge 113 of the platform 32 islikewise formed to make a piano hinge section 114.

Preferably the shelf 32 is dished in at 115 to provide a generally flatsurface 116 bounded by higher marginal edges. This prevents objects fromfalling off the shelf too rgadily and also increases the strength andstability of the c arr.

The bracing members 37 and 38 The bracing member 37 is formed with apiano hinge section 120 on its upper edge that is joined by a pintle 121to the piano hinge section 100 near the front of the seat 31 to form thepiano hinge 101. Otherwise, the brace 37 is a sheet aluminum member,bowed out for strength and with depending portions 122, 123 stapled tothe front legs 33, 34.

The bracing member 38 is similar to the bracing member 37. Its loweredge is a piano hinge section that mates with the hinge section 114 onthe front edge of the shelf 32 and the pintle 131 to form the pianohinge 132. Its upwardly extending portions 133, 134 are stapled to thefront legs 33 and 34.

The braces 37 and 38 aid in stabilizing the chair, both by the fact thatthey are made from bowed strip material having great strength lengthwiseand by the fact that they provide a piano hinge connection between theseat 31 and shelf 32 and the front legs 33, 34.

The legs 33, 34, 35, 36

All four legs 33, 34, 35, 36 are made from tubular material, preferablyaluminum. Their lower ends 140, 141 are cut ofl at an angle so that theywill lie substantially flat on the floor surface when the chair is open.These ends 140, 141 are curled in at 142, 143 as shown in Figs. 25 to 28and serve as integral glides, thereby offering a relatively wide surfacethat will not scratch the floor and that eliminates the need for aseparate glide member.

The pintle 121 that joins the brace 37 to the seat 31 at the piano hinge101 extends out through the openings 105 in the brackets 106, and thefour legs 33, 34, 35, 36 are all pivoted on this pintle 121, between thehinge 101 and the brackets 106.

The front legs 33, 34 extend down from the pintle 121 in a directiongenerally parallel to the frame 30 when the chair is open. The legs 33,34 are braced by the members 37, 38, which may be secured to them bystaples.

The rear legs 35, 36 extend back and down from the pintle 121, toprotrude slightly through the snug openings 60, 61 in the frame base 30when the chair is closed and thereby be held in place, and to extendtherethrough when the chair is opened. The rear legs 35, 36 are notadditionally braced, but the frame 30, especially the flange 55, acts asa brace. A slight play between the legs 35, 36 and the snug openings 60,61 gives the chair flexibility, for if the chair were too rigid it wouldtend to break easily, especially under abnormal use.

The leg-locking mechanism 39 Preferably there is a self-acting lockingmeans 39 between the frame 30 and the rear legs 35, 36. This may beprovided in the manner shown in Figs. 10, 15, and 21..

A stationary latch member 150 is rigidly secured to each of the rearlegs 35, 36 at a location, which (when the chair is opened) liesimmediately above the openings 60, 61. These members 150 may have aV-shaped creasedin portion 151 extending out from a strap portion 152. Acurved or round wire or latch rod 153 is journaled for rotation on threebrackets 154, 155, 156, each bracket being rigidly secured to the baseof chair frame 30. One bracket 154, 155 is located at each end,preferably just inside each of openings 60, 61 and the.other bracket 156is centrally located. Each of brackets 154, 155 has a crimped lower edge155a, against which the lower edges of portions 151 of latch members 150press when the chair is open, thereby acting as stops to prevent rearlegs 35, 36 from extending too far. A handle or latch release 157 may bewelded or otherwise rigidly secured to the curved wire 153 adjacent itscentral portion so as to extend out through an opening 158 provided inthe chair frame 30 (see Fig. 24). For convenience in moving the latchrelease member, a stationary bracket 159 may be rigidly secured to theframe 30 at the opposite end of this central opening 158. Then the usercan place his thumb on either the latch release member 157 or thestationary grip member 159 and his first finger on the remaining memberand press the movable member 157 in toward the stationary member 159 torotate the wire 153 and so release the latch.

By having the wire 153 curved as shown in the drawings a spring actionis obtained without having to provide a separate spring member. Since itis to serve as a spring, the latch rod 153 is preferably not excessivelystiff. The outer ends 160 of the latch rod 153 are preferably bent overto provide catches that engage the V-notch 151 in the latch members 150on the legs 35, 36. The latch rod ends 160 will ride into the crease 161when the legs 35, 36 are lowered and then will lock and will preventretraction until the rod is turned by pressing the members 157 and 159together.

Nesting brackets 170 and latch 175 The chairs may be nested togetherwhen folded, and may be locked together for movement of a group of themas a unit.

For this purpose, side brackets 170 (see Fig. 23) may be provided on theframe 30 (see Fig. 22). The bracket 170 has a hooked end 171 extendingbeyond the frame 30 and another flanged end 172 extending in through anopening 173 of the frame. The portion 172 of one bracket l70 is adaptedto engage the portion 171 on the succeeding chair, and the portion 172is preferably cammed as shown for that purpose.

A latch 175 may also be provided on the Wire 153, preferably as anextension of the handle 157. This latch 175 is adapted to automaticallyengage in an opening 176 in the member 159 on the adjacent chair, whenthe two chairs have been nested together. It is released by squeezingthe handle 157 toward the member 159.

Operation A folded chair is opened simply by holding the back 43 in onehand and pulling down the seat 31 with the other hand. The seat 31 andshelf 32 force the front legs 33, 34 out and down and the rear legs 35,36 are simultaneously projected down through the openings 60, 61. Thelatch 39 catches when the chair is opened, and it will not closeaccidentally.

When opened, the chair is comfortable and convenient, the shelf 32adding to the convenience. It is also steady, for the parallelogramformed by the chair seat 31, the front legs 33, 34 (together with thebraces 37, 38), the

shelf 32, and the frame 30 give a great amount of strength per weightand the four piano hinges at the corners of this parallelogram aid inmaking this a strong connection, extending over the whole length of eachof these parts. These piano hinges consume the minimum amount of roomwhile providing great strength and pivotal action.

To fold the chair, the latch 39 is released by pressing the tab orhandle 157 toward the tab 159, rotating the rod 153 and releasing itsends from the notch 151. Then the front end of the seat 31 is raised,folding the chair.

To lock the chairs in nested position, one chair is placed over anotherchair, with the end of one chair displaced from the other, the back ofone chair against the front of the other chair, and a little higher. Themembers 171 and 172 are engaged and the chairs snapped together. Thelatch 175 will automatically catch in the opening 176 and preventfurther movement until it is released by means of the handle 157 and thechairs taken apart.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, manychanges in construction and widely differing embodiments andapplications of the invention will suggest themselves without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and thedescription herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be inany sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A folding chair, including in combination: a back frame with aforwardly-extending flange on its bottom edges having openingstherethrough adjacent each side of said frame; a seat with its rear edgepivotally attached to said frame a substantial distance above the loweredge of said frame; a shelf below and spaced from said seat, with itsrear edge pivotally attached to said frame, adjacent said frames loweredge; a pair of front legs pivotally secured to the forward edge of saidseat and to the forward edge of said shelf; and a pair of rear legspivotally secured at their upper ends to said seat along an axiscollinear with said front legs and extending out through said frameflange openings.

2. The chair of claim 1 in which there are a pair of bracing members,each secured rigidly to and between said front legs, one hinged to saidseat coaxially with the pivot for said legs, the other hinged to saidplatform adjacent its forward edge.

3. The chair of claim 2 in which the connections between said seat andsaid frame, between said seat and its said bracing member, between saidshelf and said frame, and between said shelf and its bracing membercomprise piano hinges.

4. A folding chair, including in combination: a back frame member with alarge central opening bridged by a cross-member and with aforwardly-extending flange on its bottom edges having a pair of openingstherethrough at each end thereof; a seat member with its rear edgepivotally attached to said frame cross-member; a platform below andspaced from said seat and with its rear edge pivotally attached to thebottom edge member of said frame; a pair of front legs pivotally securedto the forward edge of said seat and to the forward edge of saidplatform; and a pair of rear legs with their upper ends pivotallysecured to said seat along an axis collinear with said front legs andextending out through said frameflange openings.

5. The chair of claim 4 in which the upper edge of said framecross-member forms one-half of a piano hinge, the other half beingprovided on the lower surface of said seat and in which the upper edgeof said frame bottom edge forms one-half of a second piano hinge, theother half being formed by the rear edge of said platform.

6. The chair of claim 5 in which two braces are provided bridging saidfront legs and attached, one to the lower surface of said seat, theother to the forward edge of said platform, both by piano hinges.

7. A folding chair, including in combination: a frame; a seat pivotallyattached to said frame; a pair of front legs pivotally secured adjacentthe forward edge of said seat; a pair of rear legs with their upper endspivotally secured to said seat along an axis collinear with said frontlegs; and releasable latch means for locking together said frame andsaid rear legs in open position.

8. The chair of claim 7 in which said frame is provided with latchmembers whereby an unlimited series of said chairs, when folded, may belocked together, each chair being secured to the succeeding adjacentchair.

9. A lightweight folding chair, including in combination: a frame memberformed from sheet aluminum having a portion adapted to serve as the backof said chair, and having a pair of openings through its lower edge; aseat formed from sheet aluminum and with its rear edge pivotallyattached to said frame; a shelf formed from sheet aluminum below andparallel to said seat and pivotally attached to said frame; a pair oftubular aluminum front legs pivotally secured to the forward portion ofsaid seat and to the forward portion of said shelf; a pair of tubularaluminum rear legs with their upper ends pivotally secured to said seatcollinear with said front legs and extending through said openings and apair of sheet aluminum bracing members, one stapled to said front legsand hinged to said seat along a pintle coaxially with the pivot for saidlegs, the other stapled to said front legs and hinged to said shelf.

10. The chair of claim 9 in which the connections between said seat andsaid frame, between said seat and its associated bracing member, betweensaid shelf and said frame, and between said shelf and its associatedbracing member, all comprise piano hinges.

11. The chair of claim 9 in which the lower, floor engaging ends of thetubular legs are cut off at an angle and curled in to provide a levelfoot smoothly curved in around the rim so that they serve as integralglides parallel to the floor.

12. A folding chair including in combination: a unitary back framecomprising a generally rectangular sheet of lightweight metal having apair of generally rectangular relatively large openings therethrough,one above the other, bounded by generally vertical relatively narrowside margins also having a central member dividing said openings and alower, relatively narrow margin joining said side margins, and said sideand lower margins having forwardly-extending side flanges so that theyare generally L-shaped in cross-section, openings being provided at eachend of said lower margin through its said flange; a lightweight metalseat member pivoted to the side flanges of said frame and to saidcentral member, said seat having a thickness smaller than the width ofsaid side flanges so as to nest between them when said chair is folded;a pair of forward legs with their upper ends pivoted to said seatadjacent its forward edge; a pair of rear legs with their upper endspivoted to said seat collinearly with the upper ends of said forwardlegs and extending down through said openings through said lower marginflange, the diameter of said legs being less than the width of saidflanges, and adapted to nest in said frame and within said seat bottomwhen said chair is folded; a shelf of sheet, lightweight metal disposedbeneath said seat and spaced away therefrom and adapted to nest in saidframe when said chair is folded; a pair of bracing members each bridgingbetween said forward legs, one being hinged to the lower surface of saidseat and extending downwardly therefrom, and the other hinged to saidshelf and extending upwardly therefrom.

13. The chair of claim 12 in which said legs are tubes of lightweightmetal with their lower floor-engaging ends terminating in an angularlycut-off end, with the tube walls curled inwardly to form a roundedsurface thereat parallel to the floor.

14. The chair of claim 12 having a latch member on each said rear legadapted to be near and above said flange openings when said chair isopened and to be spaced considerably thereabove when said chair isfolded; a rod journaled to said frame and bridging between said rearlegs adjacent said flange and having outturned latch ends adapted toengage said latch members for locking said chair in its open position byspring action; and means to rotate said rod to disengage said outturnedlatch ends so that said chair may be folded.

15. The chair of claim 14 in which each side flange is providedexteriorly with a projecting hook member and interiorly with aprojecting cam member, whereby a series of chairs can be locked nestedtogether against all but relative longitudinal sliding movement, and inwhich said latch rod has a finger secured thereto and each frame isprovided with a member against which the finger of an adjacent chairlocks by spring action when chairs are nested as stated, said fingerbeing releasable by rotating said rod and otherwise locking said chairsagainst relative longitudinal movement.

16. The chair of claim 14 in which said means to rotate said rodcomprises a lever secured to said rod and a stationary member extendingfrom said frame, whereby relative movement between said stationarymember and said lever rotates said rod to release said latch.

17. The chair of claim 14 in which said rod is journaled to the chairframe bottom at each end and in the center, the three journals being outof line so as to create tension on said rod and thereby force it toserve as its own spring.

18. The chair of claim 12 in which each side flange is providedexteriorly with a projecting hook member on the back and interiorly witha projecting cam member directly opposite said hook member, wherebychairs can be locked together when folded by sliding said hook memberinto said cam member.

19. The chair of claim 12 in which said seat member and said framemember are formed with ribs and re cesses that accommodate said legswhen said chair is folded so that they nest tightly.

20. A folding chair including in combination: a unitary frame comprisinga generally rectangular sheet of lightweight metal having a pair ofgenerally rectangular relatively large openings therethrough, one abovethe other, bounded by generally vertical relatively narrow side margins,a relatively wide upper end, joining said side margins and serving asthe contoured chair back, a lower relatively narrow lower margin joiningsaid side margins, and a central member dividing said openings, saidside and lower margins having forwardly-extending side flanges so thatthey are generally L-shaped in crosssection, the upper unflanged edge ofsaid lower margin and the upper edge of said central member being curledto provide half of a piano-hinge, openings being provided at each end ofsaid lower margin through its said flange; a seat pivoted to the sideflanges of said frame and having a mating piano-hinge portion adapted tomate with the half-hinge of the upper edge of said central member,collinear with the pivoting to said frame; a pair of forward legspivoted adjacent their upper ends on the lower surface of said seatadjacent its forward edge; a pair of inclined rear legs with their upperends pivoted collinearly with the upper ends of said forward legs andinclined thereto and extending down through said openings through saidlower margin flange, all four of said legs being metal tubes with theirlower floorengaging ends curled inwardly to form a rounded surfacethereat parallel to the floor; a platform disposed beneath said seat andspaced away therefrom and mating with the half-piano-hinge on the lowermargin to form a piano hinge; a pair of bracing members each bridgingbetween said forward legs, one being hinged by a piano hinge to thelower surface of said seat and the other hinged by a piano hinge to saidplatform and extending upwardly therefrom; a latch member on each ofsaid rear legs adapted to be near and above said flange openings whensaid chair is opened and spaced considerably thereabove when said chairis folded; a spring-activated rod journaled to the base of said frameand bridging between said rear legs adjacent said flange and havingoutturned latch ends adapted to engage said latch members for lockingsaid chair in its open position; and means to rotate said rod todisengage said outturned latch ends so that said chair may be folded.

21. A lightweight, compact folding chair which, when closed, containsall its component parts within the space of a one-piece generallyrectangular flanged backframe, said chair comprising a one-piecegenerally rectangular flanged backframe; a seat which, when said chairis open, is horizontal in front but sloping adjacent its rear edge; ashelf below and parallel to said seat; and front and rear legs; saidone-piece backframe having a top which serves as a reinforcedposture-contoured backrest, flanged sides whose flanges enclose the seatwhen the chair is closed, said sides being ribbed and crimped forstrength and provided with side pivotal attachments to said seat andwith grooved catches whereby one closed chair may be attached to anotherfor carrying and storage purposes, the middle of said backframe beingpiano-hinged to said seat and acting as reinforcement for the chair, andthe bottom of said backframe having two snug-fitting holes through whichthe rear legs project and mounting a spring leg-locking mechanism, whichadditionally serves in locking the chairs together for carrying andstoring, said bottom being piano-hinged to said shelf; a bracemidlocated on and between the two front legs and pianohinged to saidshelf; both front and rear legs in turn being piano-hinged at their topsfrom a single axis located adjacent the forward edge of the seat andalso attached to the side of the seat along the same axis, the use offour sets of piano hinges permitting the use of lightweight metalconstruction and giving sufficient flexibility to absorb tensions; saidlegs thereby opening when the seat is lowered by pivoting it out of thebackframe, this movement extending the front legs by pivoting themforward and extending each rear leg out through its snug hole below andto the rear of the frame base into their 10 2,550,993

10 tations, and a release handle on said rod adapted to release thehooks when the chair is to be folded, thereby freeing the rear legs topermit their retraction when the seat is closed pivotally within saidbackframe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,727,255 Simmons Sept. 3, 1929 Goldfine May 1, 1951 2,675,860 SchroederApr. 20, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,389 Great Britain 1911 570,898 GreatBritain July 27, 1945

